Fishing is an activity having both commercial and sporting purposes. It is highly popular as an outdoor sport, largely because of the solitude (or companionship) and opportunity to enjoy natural scenic beauty which often attends such sport. Of course, the successful angler can look forward to a tasty meal.
And the sport has its economic aspects. Persons who enjoy fishing spend millions of dollars on fishing equipment. In some aspects of game fishing, e.g., lake fishing involving trolling or casting, participants go forth in boats laden with fishing gear of many types. Such gear may include heavy tackle boxes containing the latest lures, live bait containers, multiple fishing poles and, of course, a large landing net. Persons who outfit themselves in this way and who engage in this type of game fishing find such activity practical only with a boat--there is no other good way to transport and use the gear.
On the other hand, persons who fly-fish trout streams make it a point to minimize the amount of equipment to be carried and to buy equipment which is easy to pack, transport and use. It is not unusual for persons fishing for trout to fly to a site near their favorite location. And, of course, such air travellers know that it is desirable to minimize the weight and space needed for the fishing gear.
One of the potentially bulkiest but necessary items of equipment used by persons fishing for trout and similar fish is a landing net. In an effort to address the need for a compact yet effective net, folding landing nets have been made available. Such nets have varying degrees of complexity and ease of use. Folding landing nets are sold by Cabela's of Sidney, Neb., by The Global Flyfisher of Northbrook, Ill., and by many others.
In the patent literature, examples of fish landing nets are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,515,685 (Ash); 317,820 (McClintock); 4,870,773 (Schmucker et al.); 1,430,221 ((Dukas) and 4,492,025 (Davis). The nets shown in such literature employ parts detachable from one another so that the net can be folded or, at least, "shape-modified" in some way.
For example, the device shown in the Ash patent involves a net frame having four segments fitted together. The outer ends of two segments are joined by what the patent describes as heads through which a bolt is passed and tightened when the net is in use. Such bolt as well as the handle and its locking nut are removed for net folding.
The net shown in the Schmucker et al. patent has flexible, curved arm-like members which telescope into rigid housing cylinders when the net is collapsed. The net has two spring-biased caps preventing the outer ends of the members from scissoring when the net is in use. Such caps must be manually, simultaneously pushed back (as the patent describes it) to permit such outer ends to come into registry during net setup. The caps are then released to hold such ends in that position.
While earlier landing nets have been generally satisfactory, many are characterized by certain disadvantages. One involves the fact that when folded for carrying, the user must contend with and keep track of several loose parts. The device shown in the Ash patent is a good example.
Loose parts are (or should be) anathema to anglers and to trout anglers in particular. This is so since trout anglers often unfold their nets directly over water or very near water's edge. Assuming the angler is successful in getting all of the loose parts to the fishing site, inadvertent dropping and loss of a part may prevent effective landing of caught fish.
Yet another disadvantage of certain known folding landing nets is their complexity in construction, in use or both. The net shown in the Schmucker et al. patent is an example in its use of a relatively large number of parts, some telescoping, and the need for a degree of manual dexterity when setting up the net for use.
An improved landing net which has no loose parts, which is highly compact and which is very easy to set up for use and fold for stowage and travel would be an important advance in the art.